Nowadays, supporting local businesses is important to a lot of people. For many, they also want to support local sustainable businesses that engage in practices designed to help the environment. Finding businesses that fit the bill, however, can be challenging. This is why Yelp developed a feature specifically to help its users pinpoint eco-friendly businesses they could purchase from and patronize.
How to find sustainable businesses on Yelp
1. Visit Yelp.com.
2. Search for the type of business you want, like a restaurant, and the desired city.
3. Choose the business you want to know more about and scroll down to the Amenities and more section (Info section in the Android app). There, you’ll see any applicable sustainable and eco-friendly attributes. This might include details like that the business provides reusable tableware, allows customers to bring their own containers, or that they have EV charging stations for electric vehicles. Some businesses may also make this information viewable right from the search page.
4. If you want to narrow the search down by your specific needs, search for keywords like “provides reusable tableware” to pinpoint businesses that do this.
5. You could also search for keywords like “EV charging station available.”
6. Under the results that appear, you’ll see the keyword you selected in the summaries.
7. Once you input your main criteria, like plastic-free packaging or EV charging station, select See All under the Category option in the left side menu.
8. Select the specific business category you’re looking for and tap Search.
9. Select the result you want and scroll down, once again, to Amenities and More to see any other sustainable practices the business might engage in.
10. You can also simply type in the keyword “sustainable” in the main search field and select from the drop-down options that appear to further filter the search to the type of business you want.
Businesses that are listed on Yelp, one of the best road trip apps for Android, can easily add these eco-friendly attributes to their listings for free from their Yelp for Business accounts. They log in and edit the Business Information section. This allows customers to see which companies are doing their part to help the planet, and how.
There are eco-friendly options businesses can choose from in a checklist, like the ones mentioned above as well as things like if they have bike parking, if they offer compostable containers, or use plastic-free packaging.
Additionally, Yelp is creating various lists to help customers find sustainable businesses, like Top 100 Vegan Places to Eat.
In addition to Yelp, other services are also making it easier to locate businesses that are doing their part to help the planet. You can, for example, also find and support eco-friendly places on Google Maps.
